


Thursday watch the walls instead

by CadetDru



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Canon-Typical Worms (The Magnus Archives), M/M, Mutual Pining, Mutually Unrequited, Post-Episode: e022 Colony (The Magnus Archives), Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:42:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28067208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CadetDru/pseuds/CadetDru
Summary: Martin slept with his back to the door, facing the wall.  He didn't want to see any worms. He wanted to be able to sleep. He wanted things to be normal.It was either late Thursday night or early Friday morning.  Someone was walking near him, trying to be quiet. The steps came closer the hesitated.  Martin wasn't scared.  His heart rate didn't quicken. He was just tired.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53





	Thursday watch the walls instead

**Author's Note:**

> Title and concept from Friday I'm In Love by The Cure

Martin had moved into the Archives, carved space for himself in order to hide away from the kind of thing that had been reported in the Archives.It was no real escape, but Jon said he was safe there. Martin wanted to believe Jon.

Martin wanted Jon in more ways than were healthy or plausible.Jon apparently had believed Martin and even cared about his safety. That would have to be enough. It was more than enough to keep Martin's little crush going.He could keep it under control. He had no expectations. It was just something to occupy his thoughts on the weekends. It fueled his poetry.It was almost something like hope, some kind of promise for the future.

Martin slept with his back to the door, facing the wall.He didn't want to see any worms. He wanted to be able to sleep. He wanted things to be normal.

It was either late Thursday night or early Friday morning.Someone was walking near him, trying to be quiet. The steps came closer the hesitated.Martin wasn't scared.His heart rate didn't quicken. He was just tired.

He didn't open his eyes as he started to talk to the wall.

"I can hear you, you know.I'm not looking but that doesn't mean I don't know you're there.I just don't want you to be here with me."

Whoever it was took a deep inhale.They didn't leave. 

"It's not very likely that you're my type," Martin said. He laughed. It wasn't a lie if it wasn't Jon. If it wasn't a lie then it was one of his better dreams come true.

There was no answering laugh.

"Either you want to hurt me and I'll just get scared and do something stupid," he said.He had no such fear. Anything that came to hurt him would have to try him.He didn't think he was an action hero type but he felt more confident in his own abilities than he ever had.

He had a potentially imaginary audience to address. "Or.Or, somehow, you're just... here and then it'll be embarrassing for us both."Someone (Jon) could have just forgotten that Martin was there or assumed that he was a heavy sleeper. Someone could just be getting a head start on their day. Someone could be perfectly normal. Martin could be the weird one.

"If this is nothing, you're just looking for a document, then I'll do something stupid. In which case, I apologize in advance. I'll just do something stupid and talk to myself in my sleep. This didn't have to happen.This never happened.You can just...go."

There was no response.

"I'll roll over at some point.If you wait long enough, I might even get up and make some tea.Wouldn't that be terrible, if you were still there?"

The footsteps receded.

Martin fell back to proper sleep, his dreams cycling through the different possibilities of who his nighttime visitor could have been. It could have been Jane Prentiss coming to finish what he'd started; he'd could feel her worms invading his skin. 

It could have been Jon checking in on him. Jon could have planned to tenderly touch his cheek, stroke his hair, lovingly look after Martin when he was at his most vulnerable.In Martin's short dream, Jon had even dared to kiss Martin's temple.

He woke to the alarm on his phone, and swept it all, the footsteps and the dreams, away for the night.

He assembled a professional appearance. Jon was already at his desk, looking like he'd been there for hours. Martin's stomach lurched. He made them both some tea to settle in.

"Did you sleep alright?" Jon asked as Martin dropped off the tea.

"As much as I ever do." Martin said, looming over Jon.

"No sleep walking?"

"God, no," Martin said immediately. "Here? I'd have died the first night."

Jon cleared his throat. "Any sleep talking?" He said in his crispest, sternest, most official voice.

"How would I know?" Martin said. It wasn't a lie. He didn't outright lie often.It wasn't necessary. "I haven't started recording myself in my sleep yet."

Jon laughed. Martin didn't try to compare Jon's laugh with the hushed breathing of his unexpected visitor.

Jon sipped his too-hot tea and didn't look at Martin. Martin sat in the chair opposite, not wanting to keep standing. "I've thought about checking in on you," Jon said. "Just to... to make sure..."

"That'd be really kind of you," Martin said. "I mean, some notice, just so..."

"Absolutely," Jon said. "Wouldn't want to startle you."

"Thank you," Martin said. "That's..." he choked up. "I'd honestly appreciate it."

"You seem to be able to take care of things yourself," Jon said, grumbling mostly to himself.

"That doesn't mean that I want to," Martin said. "I want..." He stopped himself.

Jon was looking at him expectantly. He seemed actually interested in what Martin would want Martin couldn't bear having to think of the right thing to say. 

"Well, I'll get back to work," Martin said abruptly. "Thank you for thinking of me, thank... thanks."

Minor mystery solved.


End file.
